At Public Service Broadcaster SVT in Sweden, background music and sounds in programs have for many years been one of the most common complaints from the viewers. The most sensitive group are people with hearing disabilities, but many others also find background sounds annoying. To address this problem SVT has added Enhanced Speech, a feature with lower background noise, to a number of TV programs in VOD service SVT Play. As a result, when the number of programs with the Enhanced Speech feature increased, the level of audio complaints to customer service decreased. The Enhanced Speech feature got the rating 8.3/10 in a survey with 86 participants. The rating for possible future usage was 9.0/10. In this article we describe this feature's design and development process, as well as its technical specification, limitations and future development opportunities.
Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) production in sub-Saharan Africa is severely affected by viral diseases caused by several interacting viruses, including sweet potato feathery mottle virus (SPFMV), sweet potato chlorotic stunt virus (SPCSV), and sweet potato leaf curl virus (SPLCV). However, the aetiology of viral symptoms on sweetpotato is rarely established in most countries in Africa. Here, we aimed to investigate and characterize the incidence of sweetpotato viruses in Burkina Faso. We performed a countrywide survey in 18 districts of Burkina Faso and collected 600 plants, with and without symptoms, from 80 fields. Viral strains were identified using nitrocellulose membrane-ELISA, PCR, and reverse transcription-PCR. Three scions from each of 50 selected plants with symptoms were grafted to healthy Ipomoea setosa and then serological and molecular tests were performed on the 150 recorded samples. Three viruses were detected: 24% of samples were positive for SPFMV, 18% for SPLCV, and 2% for SPCSV. Across all diagnostic tests, 40% of all plant samples were virus-negative. Coinfections were found in 16% of samples. Partial sequences were obtained, including 13 that matched SPFMV, one that matched SPLCV, and one that matched SPCSV. All identified SPFMV isolates belonged to either phylogroup B or A-II. The SPCSV-positive isolates had 98% gene sequence homology with SPCSV-West Africa for the coat protein. Begomovirus-positive isolates clustered with SPLCV-United States. This first study of sweetpotato viral diseases in Burkina Faso indicates widespread occurrence and suggests a need for further epidemiological investigations, breeding programmes focused on virus-resistant varieties, and improved farming practices to control disease spread.
This paper aims to assess the population structure of Pentadesma butyracea Sabine, a local oil tree species and to analyze the occurrence of woody plants in P. butyracea natural stands. Data were collected in 41 plots of 50 × 20 m across natural stands of P. butyracea in two regions of the south-Sudanian phytogeographic zone of Burkina Faso. Stem diameter, total height and tree health were recorded and the woody plant diversity was assessed. Stand data were calculated and the diameter structure was analyzed at the regional level using the Weibull distribution. Significant differences (P < 0.05) were found in density and basal area between regions. In both regions, 32 per cent of trees show signs of poor health. The diameter distributions of individuals showed a structure close to a reverse J-shape (c < 1). Natural stands of P. butyracea exhibit good natural regeneration, but the large trees in the sampled populations commonly had poor health. The data may indicate early signs of stands of P. butyracea changing into savanna in the Banfora region as a consequence of human activities and climate deterioration. P. butyracea is a dominant species in riparian forest, its conservation has a potential to restore the riparian forest; appropriate management guidance and support that involves local communities is required to ensure sustainable management.
Fighting Fakes – the Nordic Way. Word matters and is the foundation for dialogue and democracy and so is trust. Thus, the phenomenon “Fake News” understood as propaganda, lies, disinformation and f ...
In September 2016, a gas compressor in offshore Sarawak has its rotor changed out. Prior to this change-out, pipe vibration study was carried-out by the project team to evaluate any potential high energy pipe vibration problems at the compressor’s existing relief valve downstream pipes due to process condition changes after rotor change out. This paper covers high frequency acoustic excitation (HFAE) vibration also known as acoustic induced vibration (AIV) study and discusses detailed methodologies as a companion to the Energy Institute Guidelines for the avoidance of vibration induced fatigue failure, which is a common industry practice to assess and mitigate for AIV induced fatigue failure. Such detailed theoretical studies can help to minimize or totally avoid physical pipe modification, leading to reduce offshore plant shutdown days to plant shutdowns only being required to accommodate gas compressor upgrades, reducing cost without compromising process safety.
